Reading through the reflections offered by Pilgrim High School’s Top Ten graduates of 2020, a special insight can be taken into the hopes and struggles shared by high school seniors nationwide in the wake of school closures due to the coronavirus and its resulting prevention measures. With several of the students on this year’s list hoping to pursue careers in the medical field, the current circumstances are more relevant than ever to their futures.

“This is a special class; this is the first class I’ve been with for four years,” said Principal Gerald Habershaw, who became principal of Pilgrim in the wake of the consolidation of Warwick Veterans from a high school into a middle school.

“It’s unfortunate that they ended the way they did,” Habershaw said, noting how the loss of milestones such as prom, sports, and the spring drama club production have been difficult to deal with from a “social standpoint.” As the Pilgrim graduates enter a world permanently changed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Habershaw said he hoped they will “move forward and still attain what they want to do in life, because life is going to continue after this.”

Jamee Salisbury

Pilgrim High School’s Valedictorian for the Class of 2020 is Jamee Salisbury, a dedicated athlete and member of her school community who rose to attain dazzling academic achievement during her four years at Pilgrim. Crediting her family and teachers with supporting her high school journey, Salisbury set out not to excel, but to learn new things and to “make [herself] better. She plans to attend Temple University this fall, where she will major in finance. 

Salisbury competed in Indoor and Outdoor Track at the Varsity level for all of her four years at Pilgrim, serving as captain for both teams; she also participated in JV and Varsity Volleyball. In addition to athletics, she participated in the Yearbook Club, the Executive Committee, and the Math Club; she also served as a tutor. For her outstanding presence in the classroom, Salisbury was inducted into the National Honor Society, as well as the National Foreign Language Honor Society for studying Spanish. She earned the Brown University Book Award, the Claiborne Pell Award (with medal), and a Bronze Award for her success on the 2017 National Spanish Exam (Level Two). She was also named an AP Scholar with Honor.

“All the friends and great memories that I made in school and while playing sports at

Pilgrim will be very memorable to me. I had amazing teachers throughout high school as well, and I will always remember them and be grateful for them despite being unable to have a last goodbye,” she wrote.

“COVID-19 has not impacted my career plans yet, but I might have to start college

online in the fall, which just is not the same. However, the pandemic has just challenged our

class to seek out creative, new ways to celebrate our accomplishments together.”

Sophia Piperata

Graduating second in the Class of 2020, Sophia Piperata earned the title of Salutatorian. She will be attending Columbia College in the fall, where her major is currently undecided.

Piperata served as an apprentice with Providence Ballet Theaters, worked as a Research Fellow at Bryant University through the ACS Seed Program, and was a supervisor at the polls during the 2018 Midterm Election. She was also awarded the Scholastic Art and Writing Honorable Mention, the Society of Women Engineers Certificate of Achievement Award, the Rhode Island Civic Leadership Award, the National Spanish Exam Silver Medal, and the Rensselaer Medal.

While honest about her desire to leave high school as soon as she started, Piperata spoke of her mother’s positive influence on her journey as a student and a human being.

“She is the owner of Seasons of New England, a local garden center, and through her example I learned the importance of hard work and endurance,” she wrote.

Marissa Birmingham 

Marissa Birmingham was ranked third in Pilgrim’s graduating class, participating in many academic and artistic extracurricular activities with the help of a “tremendous support system” both inside and outside of her school from friends, family members, and teachers. She will be attending the University of Connecticut, where she will major in Biological Sciences on a pre-med track.

During her time at Pilgrim, Birmingham held many leadership positions. She served as Treasurer of the Executive Committee, Editor of the Pilgrim Patriot school newspaper, President of the Random Acts of Kindness Club, and Secretary of the National Honor Society. Birmingham also served as Dance Captain in several arts programs at Bishop Hendricken High School, in addition to being a member of Dungeons and Dragons Club at Pilgrim.

She received the Silver Key award in the Scholastic Writing Competition, and the Middlebury College Book Award. She was also an AP Scholar with Honor, and was a member of the Spanish Honor Society.

“Nobody could have anticipated the drastic way in which this virus put a halt to the many end-of-year memories our class was eager to make. However, the selfless sacrifices made daily by countless medical professionals worldwide absolutely inspired me,” she wrote. “I am so excited to become a physician in the future to provide the care and rehabilitation that today’s doctors and nurses demonstrate daily.”

Sara Langevin 

Ranking fourth in her class, Sara Langevin contributed to Pilgrim as a devoted athlete and student, challenged by the mentors in her life to become a better person. She will be attending Quinnipiac University in the fall, where she will major in physical therapy.

Participating in field hockey and basketball for all four years of high school, Langevin served as captain for both teams her senior year. She received many awards for her athletic achievement, including the 2019 Division III MVP Tournament Award and the 2019 Division III Player of the Year Award, both for field hockey. She also received All-City awards for both basketball and field hockey, as well as the All-Academic Award for field hockey. Langevin was also a member of the Executive Committee, and was inducted into both the National Honor Society and the National Foreign Language Honor Society. She received the Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Book Award.

“I will mostly remember all the relationships I have made with my friends, teachers, coaches, and teammates,” Langevin wrote. “I will especially remember when the field hockey team won the Division III championship this past season. It was one of my best high school memories.”

“[COVID-19] has not changed my goals for the future or my career plans; if anything it made me want to work in healthcare even more to impact the lives, health, and well-being of other people.

 Tara O’Connor

Tara O’Connor ranked fifth in Pilgrim’s graduating class, motivated to excel in order to prepare for college; she cites support from both immediate and extended family as the core factors that made her success possible. She will be majoring in public health at the University of Tampa this coming fall.

A dedicated athlete, O’Connor served as captain of the Varsity Basketball Team her senior year, in addition to participating on the Softball and Soccer teams as an underclassman. She was also induced into the National and Spanish honor societies, and was a member of the Executive Committee. She received an AP Scholar Award, as well as the Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award.

When asked about favorite memories of high school, O’Connor wrote that sports defined her experience at Pilgrim; specifically, making it to the basketball championships her junior year. She also spoke of how she loved being a part of the fan section present at so many Pilgrim sporting events.

“Although my career plans have not changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have realized the importance of my field of study as well as the importance of all other essential jobs/workers during this time. I plan on going into the field of Public Health, and to know that I will be able to help others in the future during times of crisis such as the pandemic happening right now is what I am looking forward to the most,” O’Connor wrote.

Madison Diffley

Madison Diffley graduated sixth in her class, citing her friends and teachers as the people who showed her how to succeed and how to enjoy her four years at Pilgrim. While she has no definite plans for college just yet, she certainly plans to pursue music in the near future.

Diffley was a member of the Pilgrim High School Orchestra for all four years, and also participated in TEAM, Pilgrim’s AV career tech program. She cites her experiences in her senior year career tech classes as the strongest memories she will hold closest after high school.

“I’ve always been very self-motivated,” she wrote. “I want to excel because it makes me feel accomplished.”

When asked about the impacts of COVID-19 on her future, Diffley chose an optimistic reading.

“I don’t think it’s affected my career plans much, but I think we could get some good out of it. I think it’ll make people more appreciative of the little things in life.”

Vy Hoang 

Vy Hoang ranked seventh in Pilgrim’s Class of 2020, writing of the “abundance of love and support” from many people in her life that made her success possible. She will attend the Community College of Rhode Island this fall, after which she will transfer her credits and major in dental hygiene.

Hoang was involved in the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) program, as well as the Executive Committee and the Photography Club. In addition to being inducted into the French Honor Society, she also received the Middlebury College Book Award. During her time at Pilgrim, she experienced massive personal growth through her own efforts.

“Growing up in a family where both your parents struggle to speak English makes you grow up fast,” Hoang wrote. “Learning how to be independent in school at a young age was not easy, but it helped me become strong and self motivated. When I was in kindergarten, I could barely understand what my teachers were saying. Twelve years later and I’m Top 10 at Pilgrim. I have come a long way through a lot of hard work and dedication.”

“It’s hard knowing that I had to spend the rest of my senior year at home on a Chromebook instead of in class with my friends and teachers. Even though this has been a really hard experience, I know that it will eventually be over. It may not be today or tomorrow, but someday everything will be okay. This whole situation has taught me a lot about strength and perseverance.”

Madison Enos

As the eighth ranked student and a prominent leader in her community, Madison Enos considers herself lucky to have had the opportunity to grow and develop within all of the programs offered at Pilgrim. She will attend Quinnipiac University next year, where she will major in biomedical sciences on a pre-med track. 

Enos served as President of her class for two years, and as Treasurer for one; she was also a member of the Executive Committee, and served as President of the National Honor Society. She was an involved athlete, serving as Captain of the Girls Track and Field Varsity team and receiving the RITCA’s Coach Award. She received the AP Scholar Award, as well as the RI Civic Leadership Award and the Women in Engineering Award.

“The people who have contributed most to my success and enjoyment of high school have been my friends and peers,” she wrote. “I was motivated to excel by the goals that I have for myself in the future. I really hope to be a doctor one day and possibly study neurology. I know this will be a lot of hard work, though, and I wanted to prepare myself for what my future will be like.”

“The pandemic has not impacted my career plans at all; I still plan on being a doctor and attending the same university. At this point and time, I find it hard to see much good coming out of this situation. I do hope that in the future I can look back at this time and can learn a valuable lesson from it.”

Cameron Woodbury

Cameron Woodbury, ranking ninth, cites his teachers and family members as primary figures of support; alongside, of course, the friends and classmates he worked with to triumph over difficult assignments as one unit. He will be attending Syracuse University this coming autumn, where he plans to major in aerospace engineering.

In addition to being a student athlete for three years, Woodbury additionally earned a spot on the High Honor Roll and was inducted into the National Honor Society. He also served as a member of the Executive Committee, and was a Bryant Book Award Recipient.

He cited his teachers as “major factors in my success and my enjoyment of school,” noting especially the contributions of physics teacher Mr. Marerese, English teacher Ms. Pouliot, and calculus teacher Mr. Fisher.  

“It’s true that this pandemic has affected us like no other class before, but it has also given us some hardship to persevere through. It has made us all adapt to it, and, for better or worse, we have. We will all still come out of this, hopefully, with a new sense of pride in what we accomplish because it has been harder for us.”

Connor Fallon

Connor Fallon graduated tenth in the Pilgrim Class of 2020, finding motivation and support from many figures in his life, from parents to administrators to coaches. He will go on to attend Western New England University, where he will major in biomedical engineering and play for the Golden Bears Football program.

During his time at Pilgrim, Fallon received the Frank Marcone Scholar Athlete Award, as well as the Golden Dozen Member Award for the Class of 2020. In addition to being a two-sport athlete and Captain of a championship-winning football team, Fallon was also a member of the National Honor Society and participated in community service.

“My football team and coaches made me stronger mentally and physically, gave me school help, and provided a second family for me,” wrote Fallon. “When I have my own family and my team of brothers pushing me to succeed, it’s impossible to think about anything but success.”

“Not being able to walk to stage with the people I have spent four years with is definitely not how I envisioned my senior year ending, but I know it is for the safety of others and that makes it better. I think that waiting months for normalcy is much better than losing thousands. Life is more important than experiences and normalities.”